A look back at 2014: a year of transition and blessings

For those of you who have been following our blog of adventures (maybe you didn't read our last post from Japan) and have been keeping tabs on us via Facebook, you'll know that our term in Japan has finished and we are currently living back in the USA.  Our move from Japan in April marked a long period of silence on our blog as we transitioned to life back in America.  Needless to say we haven't been as dormant as our blog site!  In lieu of mailing out a Christmas letter, we thought we would post this blog entry as a summary of our year and an update on our lives here in the States.

Sakura trees in Fukushima

Eric finished teaching English at ECC in March, and Haidee finished at Izumi Lutheran Church shortly thereafter.  We were able to enjoy one more beautiful sakura season (cherry tree blossoms) in Fukushima and were further blessed to celebrate Easter with our friends and family in Japan.

Haidee demonstrating how to dye an Easter egg

Izumi Lutheran Church, Fukushima

Upon leaving Japan, we took the long way home over Europe, scheduling a 10-day layover in Paris, France.  We hit the tourist spots in Paris for a few days before taking the train down south to a small village called Taizé, the location of an ecumenical Christian prayer community that serves as a pilgrimage site of sorts for thousands of youth and adults from all over Europe and the world.  Here we were blessed with time to rest, worship, and process life.  We were struck by both the unembellished simplicity of life at Taizé, and by the genuine kindness and compassion of un-looked-for friends.  We also made one more layover in southern California before completing our journey back to Minnesota.

the Eiffel Tower

Taize

a quiet walk

friends from our small group at Taize

time spent on the beach in southern CA

We took a breather in Minnesota for about a month, enjoying the company of Haidee's parents, before hopping on a plane once more to make the three-segment 24+ hour journey to Burundi, Africa to spend time with Eric's sister and family.

reading to our nephew and niece in Burundi

Eric playing with the boys

Selle/McLaughlin family photo

We returned to Minnesota and took a week to recover from jet-lag before traveling to Michigan to make a long overdue visit to see family and friends.

Aunt Karen

Grandpa Ugo

Eric's friend, Kristin

The rest of the summer was marked by moving into our apartment in St. Paul, enjoying a few more visits with family, and preparing for the school year.

Eric and Nathan

Sue's birthday party

Haidee with Isa and Koda

In August Haidee started working as an AmeriCorps volunteer at Four Seasons Elementary School, serving as the Reading corps specialist with two pre-school classes.  This is in preparation for earning a Minnesota Teaching License and a Master's Degree in ESL, which will begin next Spring.  Eric started graduate school at the University of Minnesota, studying Music Therapy (and playing euphonium with the Symphonic Band in his free time).  We're both very grateful for these God-given opportunities to learn and grow.

Eric and his euphonium

Eric's Music Therapy cohort at the U of MN (along with Goldy, the mascot)

We're just winding down an exciting Christmas season, visiting family, decorating the house, and baking (multiple!) batches of cookies.

cookies (take two)

cookies (part three!)

Sunny and Jeremiah on Christmas Eve

Haidee watching a movie with her dad and the girls

Now we're enjoying a few quiet nights alone together before New Year's to reflect on the past year and celebrate the rich blessing of three years of marriage!  This reading from the Bible, a promise from God which we chose for our wedding, sums up the Truth that we have experienced through the joys and struggles of the past year of transition:

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:38-39


Merry Christmas!
Happy New Year!
God's blessings and peace.

wine and sushi for our 3rd anniversary

Eric and Haidee Selle <><